Rhino poachers attack in Western Cape

Cape Town - A rhino has been killed and two others have been darted for dehorning by poachers at Aquila private game reserve in Worcester, Cape Town, it was reported on Monday.

A 6-year-old male rhino was killed and its horns were hacked off with a machete on Saturday, reported The Cape Times.

Another male was darted and its horn was removed with a chainsaw, but the animal survived the attack.

The surviving male's 4-year-old female calf was darted twice, but was not dehorned.

It was believed that anti-poaching patrols might have scared off the poachers.

According to Die Burger, the injured male was recovering well and was no longer in a critical condition.

Comments

ReThan - 2011-08-22 09:39

fsck :( WHY!!!

Expat - 2011-08-22 13:48

Is NO life sacred in South Africa??

THE.SRG - 2011-08-22 16:19

it seems to me that there might be an involvement with people higher up,the one with the machete seems like the usual rubbish filth but the guys darting them then using a chainsaw seems like guys who have been trained in this sort of thing...eg.People who work for game reserves and have dehorned them before in the way they used to do to prevent poaching in the first place

ratex - 2011-08-22 09:47

The only way you will stop these poachers is to have a policy of shoot on site. As far as I know, the bulk of the horns are going to the chinese market? AS for the poachers, well, bush justice needs to be served, kill them and bury them in a shallow grave. These c8nts do not deserve to live.

saabnut - 2011-08-22 09:57

I agree, one between the eyes for each poacher- savages.

Komasa - 2011-08-22 10:15

Likewise perlemoen poachers should be shot in the water no questions asked.

Fred - 2011-08-22 11:05

Actually a Vietnamese diplomat was implicated in some of the earlier murders so the SA government refused to do to much about it.

Baddy - 2011-08-22 11:07

I agree with you 100% and I volunteer my services to anyone willing to take up this policy!!!! Freakin monsters man!!!!!

OBwun - 2011-08-22 13:55

Why bury them? Aquila has lions that need protein....

Brendank - 2011-08-22 09:48

We have to catch these Fuc+#s. Poachers deserve to die a slow death.

schumi786 - 2011-08-22 09:57

there was a story some time ago that the owners are killing the rhino's to claim insuance money , im not saying this the case here but these people need to be brought to justice ! There is so much been done to stop whale hunting but what about the rhino's ?

Coquine - 2011-08-22 10:07

I doubt it in this case as this is a private reserve and if they have no animals they get no visitors. It's unreal that poachers have started working in the Western Cape - possibly not part of the big syndicate that operates up north. However, a private reserve is possibly an easy target as it is not as prepared for poachers as say Kruger.

Fred - 2011-08-22 11:10

Maybe its time to get greenpeace involved in this, the rhino trust,spca, police and the government aren't doing anything constructive and greenpeace has successfully taken on much bigger government maybe they could help.
Does anybody have an email address for greenpeace, then we can send all these reports to them?

GypseyAnn - 2011-08-22 15:29

Seeing the owner of the farm on TV last night and hearing him on 702 today, believe me he is devastated. They are even offering a reward to find these dreadful people. Personally if I knew anything regarding poachers of any of our animals, I would not want a reward.
Just the satisfaction of seeing them brought to book with very long languishing times in jail with special privileges such as water torture or something really creative, would be reward enough.

Francois - 2011-08-22 10:06

Seriously, these people need to wake the hell up!!! And anyone who believes eating or drinking the ground up horn of any animal will give you a better stiffy needs to go to a psychiatric hospital!!!

Golden - 2011-08-22 13:23

What? Don't you believe in muti - you racist . . .

Thys Basson - 2011-08-22 10:17

Hope they catch these guys and DEHORN them as well!

dominik - 2011-08-22 10:19

what kinda monsters are we dealing with hear

Fred - 2011-08-22 11:12

The one crowd that was arrested include two Afrikaans vets and numerous other Afrikaaners living in the area, not one chinese or vietnamese in the group.

Tony - 2011-08-22 10:22

Cut their willy's off!

Komasa - 2011-08-22 10:29

The circle extends further than a poacher, there are vets, pilots, estate agents and other businessman involved in this. Rhino horn products are not only exclusive to China but also Yemen, South Korea, Malaysia and India. Shipments go to Hong Kong and no money changes hands but the syndicates here in SA are paid with shipments of methamphetamine. The western cape controls all shipments of rhino horn and perlemoen through the 26's and 28's gangs.

biskit - 2011-08-22 11:13

so true

Komasa - 2011-08-22 10:35

The pillaging of natural and rare resources will always be part of western colonial culture, and the fact that there is a market for it does not justify the deed.

zuffy - 2011-08-22 10:52

its the asians from the east that are killing our animals!!!!!!!!

Fred - 2011-08-22 11:18

Western or Eastern, you're racism is clouding your thought process, the 26's gang was started by a Zulu I believe, the only thing I have been able to deduce from the many reports is that its multi-racial groups involved and we must'nt look at any one race as the problem, that's just dumb.

zuffy - 2011-08-22 11:38

@fred, its not racism if its true, watch a movie called "The cove" and then come talk. the asians are heartless!!! and i know its not all of them but its the lack of education of their culture, they beleive in things that have been proven to be untrue.

Boris Krivochiev - 2011-08-26 08:42

@zuffy
please tell me how is what the japs are doing to the dolphins different to what we are doing to cows in slaughter houses? just because dolphins are cute you resort to racism? i think you fail to see that humankind is the problem

biskit - 2011-08-22 10:54

Rhino poachers should be shot between the eyes - no more no less

Crowsnest - 2011-08-22 10:56

There are millions of people on this continent who do not deserve to be surrounded by wildlife or environmental beauty, they do not appreciate it or conserve it. All they see is MONEY. It is these people who assist the Chinese and other scum with destruction of our treasured assets. Poachers, middlemen, buyers and those who collude with them should be assassinated or face on-the-spot painful deaths if caught. And not only are the rhinos being decimated... see this link for the massive elephant (and other wildlife) poaching in Africa http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7429847/Agony-and-Ivory.html

zuffy - 2011-08-22 11:24

It also comes down to the government AGAIN. They need to have harsher sentences. The money that they make is worth the couple of months in jail…

Ria - 2011-08-22 11:28

Name them and Shame them - read this you can even be rewarded for it.

nefa - 2011-08-22 11:38

I don't understand why the SA government is not doing more about the situation. These animals are "ours". We are letting another country steal our property, our heritage. Would governments reaction be the same if it were weapons being stolen?

Golden - 2011-08-22 13:31

Because they simply can't. The South African government has a IQ slightly better then a Bonobo's. We need some real brains to deal with a real problems. You worry about Rhinos? Do you know that during the last 12 months more people died at the hands of criminals then Rhinos? Yet no one seems to give a s*h*i*t ! Makes you think doesn't it? Welcome to South Africa 2011

1eye - 2011-08-22 11:39

Mind blowing, but why post a photo of a Black rhino or is it camera angle

Mel - 2011-08-22 11:48

Absolutely barbaric and exceptionally cruel! I hope these bastards get caught!

Estelle - 2011-08-22 12:21

Time to bring back the death sentence

Karen - 2011-08-22 12:41

So Cruel !! What type of human being can do this ??

Jurgen - 2011-08-22 13:23

vang hulle en hang hulle by hulle balle of tiete!!!!

rbdelport - 2011-08-22 13:29

Lets have a PUBLIC HANGING BUT FIRST THE PUBLIC DE-BALLING

denman - 2011-08-22 13:37

If I was given 1% of an opportunity I would shoot these f*#%king poachers myself

D-man - 2011-08-22 13:57

It is time for them to bring the shoot on site law. These poachers have no heart and do not deserve to live. Cut there dam horns off and put them through the same pain. It really sickens me. this government must catch a bloody wake up now and deal with. Its getting ridiculous. Do what American cops and law official do. Shoot first ask quetions later or just shoot to kill as the poachers are armed.

pugwash - 2011-08-22 14:49

Leave our rhino alone!!! How would you like it if we went to China and poached your beloved Pandas??? Let the Far East see these pictures of brutality, . . . its just soooo sad :(

Angelique Smit - 2011-08-22 15:22

Why do people have to be so sick!! I will dehorn these guys with a chainsaw!!!! AARRGHGHGH!!!!

GypseyAnn - 2011-08-22 15:24

This is absolutely tragic. The footage of the poor Rhino that was shown on Focus last night just broke my heart.
When they catch these greedy bastards they should be horse whipped and then hanged by their ...

GypseyAnn - 2011-08-22 15:34

@ News24, why has this gone off the main page so quickly? This is of major importance to many people who I am sure would love to comment on the subject? We had a power failure and when the lights came back on, the article was gone. Fortunately I sort of remembered the title of the story.

To The Point - 2011-08-23 07:35

It is clear the government is in on this senseless murder of our Rhino and the minister of environment and that useless minister of tourism should both be fired. All this senseless slaughter is happening while they are in office. Why won't the government reveal how many Rhino horn they have stockpiled, covering it up with the lame excuse that this information is too sensitive and will put the state at risk if revealed - What Rubbish!!!!!! And why won't the government offer to publicly destroy its secret Rhino horn stockpile, or has it already been sold to their Chinese masters ? The poachers and the white trash that are part of this governments Rhino slaughter campaign should be exposed to the world. Until some positive action is taken by this lame government to stop the senseless slaughter of our Rhino, all respectable countries should boycott tourism and trade with South Africa.

Crispy_Duck - 2011-08-23 12:13

They should dart the b@stards cut off their "horn" with a chainsaw and then leave them to die in the bush. Heartless @rseholes.....